A week in Review

Wow, I am so bad at sitting down and getting my feelings/thought out on this blog! I am going to try to make a effort to blog more often in an effort to get my thoughts out. My head has been very full lately and I have lost alot of concentration. This scares me because when I am at work I really need to focus on work and stay on track. So my week was not the greatest at first but had rounded up to end quite nicely.

Monday we went for a very nice walk in Shubie Park, which is literally just down the road from us. I plan to do some biking there this summer as well and it is a great place for and evening stroll. I wish I had of brought my camera but I will certainty next time. But I digress. So we went for a lovely walk and then ended up going and buying Chocolate Fudge Cake! It sure was yummy, but either my hormones were still bothering me of the sugar rush got the best of me but when it was time to go to bed I broke down into Hysterics! Poor Dean didn’t know what to do other than hold me and I did manage to settle down and get some sleep.

Tuesday I just knew I couldn’t go to work. I knew I would not be able to concentrate and tolerate people so I stayed home. I lazed around most of the day but did manage to get myself to the gym. The time I spent on the elliptical was torture. I was so incredibly exhausted after words I slept like a baby.

Wednesday I was feeling better but ate like it was going out of style. Again hormones or something else I don’t know but it was not a good situation. I did go to the gym but it didn’t really help much. Thursday was grocery day and while I was within my calories I was no where near where I wanted to be in catching up with my overage.

Friday oh Good Friday, it was sooo nice to be off and I spend the day cleaning, raking leaves in the yard and spent an hour at the gym. The cat must have enjoyed the smell of outside that was left on my sneakers because he made himself busy for a good 15 minuets rubbing and rolling around with my shoe! I felt so good and so in control all day. We treated ourselves to supper out at Jack Astor’s which was nice for a change. That night my Dad was flying in for the week to spend at home. This will be his last flight home because next time he will be driving home for good! It made for a late night but it was so good to see him. I am sure the anxiety of knowing he was coming home was part of what was making this week difficult for me. I hope now that he is here and I know he is well that I can stay focused.

Yesterday I drove Dad back to the house, we stopped and got grocery's for him and picked up the family dog who is staying with my aunt until Dad is home for good. Once I got back home I really didn’t feel like doing much and just slept and read on the couch. I was able to finish my Book (review to come). When Dean got home I had a major desire for fast food, so we got McDonalds, not the best meal but I enjoyed it and not I am not craving it.   

The past week had many challenges in it. I didn’t have my appointments with my trainer Jon because he had a course to attend Tuesday and I didn’t know what time I would be available Saturday. I did try to reschedule to Friday but because it was a holiday he wasn’t allowed to work (heaven forbid he make some extra money while making me healthier). Also the anxiety of Dad coming home was on my mind most of the week. I wasn’t sure how he would look or how he would act. He seems to be grieving about the same as me, which seems normal for us. Also my Aunt is not dealing well. She has been put on meds to help and will be seeing a psychologist for a while. I do hope that it helps. And to top it all off yesterday I found out my Grandfather wasn’t doing too well, he’s had a fall and appears to be  having symptoms of liver failure.

However this is a new week so I plan to make the most of it! I have finally gotten some ideas for posts written down so stay tuned!

More Random thoughts.

I always get these great ideas to blog about and then either forget about them or the moment has passed and they don’t seem as important. I know alot of this is probably due to an inconsistent routine. I have a routine that is pretty straight forward but at the same time it seems to change alot. I have had Monday off everyday this month and I will hate going back to work on Mondays after next week. We seem to be doing different things in the evenings and I don’t really find there is a consistent time to blog. I usually come up with great things to write about in the shower and then don’t get them out after that.

I am happy to say that I finally managed to get myself to a twitter/blogger brunch. I had a blast meeting girls that I “talk” to alot and it was nice to put faces to names. I had a great time and it was great to get out and socialize with someone other than my wonderful husband. I talk with the people at work alot, but it was nice to be out of the work place and the home. My husband is my best friend and that won’t change but I was so happy to get out and enjoy some girl time.

I over indulged  yesterday, but I have plans to burn most of that off. I need to burn off over 700 calories but I think I will be able to do it if I get some activity in everyday. It is nice to treat myself once a week so that I don’t feel as tempted throughout the week.

I made butterscotch chip cookies yesterday and they turned out fantastic. I am really enjoying baking lately can’t wait to dive into the cupboard next weekend to see what I can make! I just need to get better at blogging about it!

Well that’s it for my Monday rambling. Back to work tomorrow and have to stay on track!

Random Thoughts

Wow time flies by so quickly. I just have a few random things to get out there. And a tasty meal that will be added to Dean’s Dishes.

1. Are you my friend on My Fitness Pal? My username is hrclark I am tracking my food and even went back and tracked my horrible eats from Sunday. I am proud to say that due to the exercise I am on my way to creating a deficit!

2. I am  not on My Fitness Pal to lose weight. My trainer while knowing I want to lose weight wants me to eat alot. I need alot of protein and my Iron and Vitamin B12 are also important. Therefore I am tracking to be aware of what I am eating and to attempt and get in all my protein and other supplements. While I will be stepping on the scale once a week I do not except to see significant losses due to the muscle I know I am building. 

3. After my mother passed away (it’s been over a month now, holy cow) my father went back to finish his work contract. He will be coming home in the summer for good. However because the house was going to be closed up for a bit I agreed to take our families cat. Her name is Rosie and she is at least 12 years old. We have also decided that even when Dad comes home we will not be putting Rosie though the trauma of moving again. She is finally playing with our kitty and roam the house.

4. I am doing well with the loss of my mother. And honestly I feel like I owe alot of it to exercise. I am starting to crave it and am excited to see how many calories I burn. I am doing a walk to 5K program and plan to start a couch to 5K program after that. Along with working with my trainer I am excited to see what happens! The only thing I am having difficulty with is my dreams… I am having dreams where Mom is with me but will not talk to me, she just follows me around… Weird right?

5. And last but certainty not least; Tonight we made a recipe from the Kraft Magazine. Pork, Snow pea and Mushroom Stir-fry. Here is the magazine picture compared to Dean’s creation (there were a few modifications);

It didn’t look the same but it tasted good!

Well I am off to bad and getting ready for another day of healthy choices!

Went to the Market…

Wow what a beautiful day here today! I woke up to the cat being a pain in the a$$. But it was about 7:00 and the sun was shining through the windows! I had the idea then that I wanted to go to Seaport Halifax Market. I had never been there and was excited to go. But before heading out I made another great protein smoothie. In this one was spinach frozen strawberries, some yogurt, milk and protein powder. It was great and light enough to head to the gym right after. Yep we went to the gym first thing this morning. I ran/walked 2 miles and burned almost 400 calories. Then it was over to the market.

My honest opinion was not that great. I excepted to see lots of tables with fresh produce, meat, and baked goods. Instead I saw one table with fresh produce, one with bread and a few with meat. Most of the tables were jewellery and paintings or hot food to eat right away. Now I am not saying that some of that is a bad thing, but I was hoping for more. I really just wasn’t impressed. Now it may have been that because it was Sunday all the vendors weren’t there but I just excepted more.

After our walk through of the market we decided to walk the Halifax Waterfront. It was lovely with very little wind. By the time we got to the other end of the boardwalk we were both ready for lunch. We decided on The Old Triangle. It is one of my favourite pubs and because we don’t go downtown alot we don’t get there. I got my usual meal from there;

Pub Style Curry and Chips  Chicken curry served the Irish way, over chips with home-cooked mushy peas.

I really wish I had of brought my camera. It was so nice and sunny and there were people walking and kids playing. I was in heaven! We walked for at least an hour at a leisurely pace.

I am happy we got out and did something a little different today, I find the spring/summer is so much more enjoyable to me. I feel so much more motivated to get out and do things!

The rest of the day includes relaxing with my book and salmon for supper! Might take a trip to the mall or something but I just want to relax now!

Want to be my pal?

My fitness pal that is?? Twitter has been all a flutter with alot of girls starting to use My Fitness Pal. I have scoped it out and feel like it might be a good source for managing my food intake.

Confession: For the past week and a half I have been eating Tim Horton’s Doughnut almost every morning.

Confession #2: At work pretty much everyday for the last week and a half I have been eating a bag of chips and a chocolate bar.

Ugh, I know, I know I am horrible. I had been thinking earlier in the week I was fighting a cold. Now I realize that I was probably feeling like crap due to my poor food intake. I feel so blah and I know I did it too myself!

So like I said; I have got MyFitnessPal set up and will be stepping on the scale first thing tomorrow morning. So if you wanna be my pal my user name is hrclark.

Plans for this weekend include tracking all my food, going for a walk with hubby, house cleaning as usual, and probably chill out and watch some movies! Hope to see you in my fitness pal feed!

Exhaustion

The past couple of days I have been super busy and feeling under the weather. All I have wanted to do was come home and nap!

I nap alot. Well not as much since starting back at the gym again, but still alot. At first I had lots of excuses. I had anima, I woke up at 445 in the morning, I was lazy… It really does drive Dean nuts (which is why I put a picture of him napping up, lol). It used to bother me too because I felt like I would sleep the day away.

Now I am not napping as much. I am sure this is a good thing but I would love to just close my eyes and sleep for a bit. I often feel so much better after a nap! My problem is though that as tired as I am I have no other immediate pick me ups! I am not a coffee drinker and don’t really know of any other way to wake myself up.

Anyone have any solutions for exhaustion? Do you find you get sleepy mid week and need a nap?

I must admit though I am having a better attitude and over all well being since going to the gym and starting with my trainer!

Exercise… Check, Food…

Wow its Sunday again already. I am blessed at having tomorrow off though, and the next 3 Mondays after that. It really is crazy how fast time goes by. I am proud to say that I survived another training session with my Trainer. I am sore again today but I am able to walk up steps and actually move so it is getting better.

I have my exercise down to a good routine for the most part. I even went Friday after doing 4 hours overtime because I didn’t get there Wednesday or Thursday. We also went today and plan to go tomorrow. Tomorrow I will show Dean some of the things I have been doing with the trainer!

I finally did settle on a protein powder. I got one at Costco because it was recommended to me by more than one person. It is Kaizen 100% Whey protein. I choose the decadent chocolate flavour. I had it with just milk yesterday following my session and it kind of just tasted like water. However today I put it in a smoothie with berries and spinach and you could definitely taste the chocolate. So far I like it!

However my eating overall has not been great. I know this is my next challenge but I don’t know how I want to go about it. I don’t really want to restrict my calories too much, I am not worried about my calories, more about what I am putting in my body. We don’t eat alot of processed food at home. But there are more instances than I would prefer that involve us not eating at home and getting fast food or going out to supper. I really want to put a stop to that but with the lifestyle we lead its hard.

I also need to work on getting more fruits and vegetables into my body. I will often bring them to work and then not eat them. I am really about convenience and if the food needs to be cut or peels I often won’t eat it. I am working on it though and I hope that as my body starts to feel better I will want to feed it with better food. I have the desire I just don’t feel I have the strong motivation yet.

Wordless Wednesday–RIP Mom

Well almost… My mother died suddenly March 6 2011, my wonderful husband said some wonderful words about her at the funeral. Here is what he said:

Family and friends welcome, my name is Dean Anderson; I am Debbie’s son-in-law, husband to Debbe’s only daughter Holly. I am here today to share some words in memory of Debbe.

As some of you may know, Holly and I lived with Debbe for a year and a half. In that time I got to learn many of her eccentric qualities. She was a pack rat, with many different collections; she loved her elephants, as they never forgot. She also loved tea pots, butterflies’, lighthouses, and bajangles, which are sparkly hanging things. No matter how many collections she had she was always looking for a deal, buying her clothes at Value Village and her knickknacks at the dollar store.

Debbe absorbed all information, no matter how unimportant or useless. I remember Mike telling her he liked Black Tower wine, and from then on that was all she bought when he was coming home, even though it rarely got drank. I remember playing the Video Game Fallout 3, where after nuclear war bottle caps were the currency of the world, upon hearing this Debbe then proceeded to collect bottle caps in case of nuclear war.

When looking at pictures of Debbe, you can always pick her out. Her face never changed, just her hair style, and boy did she have a lot of hair styles. Debbe was a kind, good hearted person, who always had a smile on her face. She had a love for all things living. I’ve heard of her many pets, most of which have been named from The Lord of the Rings; Strider, Hobbit, and Pippen just to name a few. This has led Holly and me to name our pets after The Chronicles of Narnia.

Debbe was a free spirit, always speaking her mind and believed enjoying life to its fullest, whether it be partying with friends and family, or sitting on the deck in the sun. Debbe was very predictable, I remember her calling her father everyday at 9:00a, watching her “Silly Show” (Days of our Lives) at 2:00, and getting a phone call from Mike at 7:00pm.

I met Debbe before I met Mike, as he was in Ontario. Even before I met Mike, I knew that Debbe loved him and they must have shared a special bond living apart the way they did. I remember Debbe saying every time she visited him it was like a honeymoon.

Debbe and her sister Heather, although 9 years apart, where the best of sisters and became the best of friends, Debbe always referred to visiting Heather as travelling half way across the world, but was always excited to see her, her family, and her dogs. Debbe’s only Niece, Jennifer held a special place in her heart, and referring to herself as Aunt Da-Bee. Debbe was also very grateful for her Brother-in-law Kent, who would help out whenever asked.

 

I met only a handful Debbe’s Friends while living with her; Holly and I spent a night by the fire pit with her and Dar, had Brunch with Sue and Glenn after my wedding, and she went out often with her skating friend Lynda.

I remember Debbe Hosting Holly’s Bridal Shower with no running water, and the plumber digging a hole in the front yard, she still had a smile on her face and was calm, cool and collected about the whole situation, even though Holly was freaking out. I remember Debbe’s showing me her Horses Ass trophy, which she received for her Darts league placing last through the whole season, an accomplishment which she laughed about and was proud of.

When not living with Debbe every visit she would push food on me, whether it be, a baked good, or a full on meal. Debbe had little knowledge of the computer, so little that I received a phone call asking how to turn off the computer, I had to explain how to use the mouse to go to the lower left corner, click the windows symbol, move the mouse to the right until it is on shut down.

Debbe graduated from Vocational School with papers in Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management. When we went to my orientation with NSCC, we found her yearbook and she received a sticker stating she was an Alumni, she also was able to tell me which locker was hers and which classrooms she was often in. While Debbe was in school she had travelled to Banff, Alberta and worked at Banff Springs Hotel, an experience she talked of often.

Debbe also chaperoned a trip to Ottawa and Toronto with Holly’s Pathfinder troop. It was on this trip where she fell in love with Niagara Falls. Returning there with Mike for a short getaway, where they won at the casino.

 

Debbe worked at Sobeys as a cashier for many years, due to that she had developed many relationships, leading her to go to Sobeys every 2 or 3 days just to socialize; she often ended up buying discounted food which she never ate.

Debbe Loved a lot of things, her gardens among the most important, and her greatest garden was the one she cultivated between family and friends. Throughout the years she has weeded out the bad and kept the good, nurturing and growing each of us in our own way. I would like everyone to take a second and look around, this is “Debbe`s Garden”.

I would like to finish with reading this poem thanking Debbe for her greatest gift to me.

When you gave birth to your child

I wonder what you thought

As tears flowed down in joy that day

For the treasure God had wrought

As you looked into your baby’s eyes

And held her tiny hand

Did you know how thankful I would be

For the girl you made a woman

No girl grows into such a woman

Without a mother’s care

Teaching her and loving her

And always being there

And now I look into the eyes

Of the daughter you raised to be

A woman who stands above the crowd

And it`s your eyes that I see

Those steely eyes of strength and hope

And of character so rare

The eyes of love and faithfulness

And wisdom that you shared

I want to take this moment

And thank you for the one

That you shared, and let me love

Your daughter, Thank you Mother In-law

 

Miss you Mommy RIP

Protein

OMG the pain I was in from my first training session was brutal. So after speaking to my trainer today at my second session he suggested I take a protein supplement to help re-build my muscles.

So the real question is what supplement to use? Just looking at places like Costco or GNC there are many to choose from. I want something that has about 30g of protein in it. Do I go with bars or a powder to mix?

The best thing about all this for me is that fact that I am really paying attention to things now. I want to exercise and when I was with my trainer I did everything he said. I am sure I will be in alot of pain tomorrow but when I left the gym today I felt good and my stressed out mood I was in when I entered the gym was gone.

One thing I am not doing great at is eating. I am trying to be good and trying to watch what is going into my body but I find it so hard. I want to eat well and I want to stay away from the junk food but I just find my body going and buying food without even realizing it until its in my body.

Wow that ended up being alot of random information, what it boils down to is;

How do you get your daily Protein and do you increase your intake when working out?

Personal Growth

It is amazing what one event can do to change your life.

Dean and I joined the gym again, because I have decided I am worth it. I need have to take care of myself. However when we go to the gym and every time we have gone in the past I stick to the cardio machines. A new thing at my gym is to do a “personal health profile”. I signed up for this and I really learned alot about myself.

For example I am almost 40% body fat! That number hit home more than any number on any scale. I also learned that my heart rate is almost too high for my body. Also my knees and ankles are very weak and the trainer said she wouldn’t recommend I attempt any type of running until they get stronger.

So what this has all boiled down to was a major investment. The option of a personal trainer was very much encouraged. They would be able to make me comfortable with the other side of the gym (weights) and would walk me through the process and keep me dedicated. Now the major investment for me wasn’t time. I am ready to do this! It was money. Me and Dean really had to sit down and look at our situation and decide if it was worth it. For us it was. I need to get healthy and this is one of the best ways to do it.

So Saturday I had my first session. OMG. I am still sore today, 2 days later. I enjoyed my time there and I go back tomorrow for my second session. I am still not sure about my trainer but we will see how it goes and give him a shot.  Here are the before pictures and I am excited to see what happens in a month or 3 months!

     Can’t wait to see what happens in a month! I am worth this and need to do it!

Life Changes

Wow it is really amazing how time goes by. I have been away for a while, and things in my life have changed. I am not really going to get into all of it in this post I’m going to divide them up as there is alot going on.

Overall I am where I was health wise before I started this whole adventure into blogging. Mentally I am wavering alot. Work life is pretty simple and my relationship with friends and family is pretty strong.

I don’t know what I want to accomplish from this blog right now. I also don’t know if I will keep posting or if I will let it go again. I just feel like I need to write publicly as well as privately to get my thoughts out and look for some more support.

The overall take home message right now is that I am doing well… better than I thought I would be given all the recent life changes I’ve experienced.

Holly

Inspiration

Wow time flies. It’s been over a week since I last blogged. For me it has been a rough week, which is why I probably didn’t blog. I find if I don’t have anything nice to say I am best not saying anything at all. I had a self sabotaging week last week. I tracked until Friday but just didn’t make good choices and really let myself down. I am so close to the 170’s and I just can’t kick my ass out of the 180’s. Part of me thinks I am scared of being able to say I lost 10 lbs. Which I know is stupid but my brain just isn’t working right these days.

That is another reason I haven't blogged. I have spent too many evenings the past little while stressing over things and letting the smallest things get the best of me. I am considering going to my doctor to see what she can offer for help but at the same time I don’t want to be put on drugs if I don’t need them. I am really trying to focus on one issue at a time and just do what needs to be done without worrying.

It feels good to get some of that off my chest. I stepped on the scale this Sunday and saw a gain, but between TOM and my self indulging I wasn’t too bothered by it. I also had a huge success Sunday. We went out for brunch for my Grandmother and Cousins birthday. I ended up eating like 20 points for lunch! I was really pissed off at myself because I wanted to try so hard. But me and Dean changed our meals around and I ended up staying within my points! I was so proud of myself. Another thing for me to be proud of is that I haven't had junk food at work for the past 2 days. This is huge for me and has inspired me to continue. I only hope I am not jinxing myself.

Well off to have some supper and enjoy my evening with hubby.

I love days off!

Wow I love days off, especially with my husband! One reason is I end up with breakfast that looks like this;

That is French Toast, with peanut butter and banana and and apple. It was soo good. So yesterday I had mentioned we were heading out to the health expo. To be honest I was a little disappointed. I found there was alot of things there that didn’t interest me in the slightest. Plus there was alot of people there which made it hard to talk to the vendors and get to the booths. I did manage to get some swag and fill out some ballots for things.

Did you know it is apparently the most depressing day of the year? Well it wasn’t for me. I had taken today off and we spent most of the morning cleaning. I love days off because I feel like I am in so much more control of my eating. Both Sunday and today I have gone over my Daily points but I don’t feel guilty about it because all my choices were good ones. I did go to the store and buy a chocolate bar or a bag of chips.

We went for a walk this evening, even though it was cold and I didn’t want to go, but that’s why my Husband is amazing. He knew that after eating our big chicken dinner we should go for a walk. This was the amazing bird we ate tonight with all the fixings!

It’s back to work tomorrow and I am going in with a good frame of mind right now. I only hope I can keep making good choices and not eating junk food. It is so tempting at work because it is so easy to get, weather I buy it myself or some one offers it to me!

I hope everyone is having a non-depressing day!

Another one down.

Well another pound gone, another week over. I have been wanting to blog but haven’t been able to get what's in my head out in a way that makes sense. I can’t figure out why I want to lose weight, the only thing I can think of is that I have wanted to for so long and I keep “giving up” and I feel like I failed myself. I am not happy with my body some of the time and the rest of the time I am indifferent. I rarely have a day that I say “wow I feel hot” day, and those days I do once I see pictures I don’t think I look good.

So I am feeling good today. I am tracking again, not sure how much longer it will last. My online runs out in February and if I don’t feel motivated then I might cancel my subscription and take a break or count calories or something. In exciting news though we are heading to Optimyz today! I am excited to be doing something a little different for a change. I also have tomorrow off so I will be able to relax tonight and not feel like the house work didn’t get done.

Honesty

I pride myself on being a very honest person. I speak my mind and say what I mean, I very rarely beat around the bush. Which is probably why when I am feeling crappy and having a bad day I don’t blog. I don’t like to sound negative and I don’t want pity, or hearing things that while might mean to sound supportive but only sound fake to me. (no offense intended, I say those things to others too).

The truth is I am really struggling with the question WHY?

• Why am I trying to lose weight.
• Why can’t I lose weight.
• Why do I find it so hard to lose weight.

I am sure there are more questions that start with why by those are the three I find myself asking alot. You would think the first question would be easy. I am unhappy at my current weight. Which is true… some of the time. When I look at pictures of myself I am unhappy with my weight, but on a day to day basis I don’t feel “fat”. I have a husband who loves me no matter what and I work in a job where it is not necessary to look a certain way at all. So the next reason might be for myself… or because I know I am unhealthy, truth is although I am classified as “overweight/obese” I don’t feel that way. I look at other people and don’t feel different than them. It is a real struggle for me to continue on this journey of Weight Watchers and losing weight if I don’t have a strong sense of why I want to lose weight. And that right there answers the other two questions!

I really don’t know what I am looking for. I don’t know if I want to continue on this journey or not. I get so quilty when I eat something “bad” when I am on WW. I get so mad at myself because I know what I should be doing… so why am I know doing it??? I think all this information is up in my head somewhere but I am not being 100% honest with myself as to the whys of my life!

Pictures, and Results!

Wow, it’s been a busy week. I’ve been meaning to blog the past few days but it’s just been crazy. Thursday we went out and I got a new slow cooker! I have been using my Grandmothers for years, it is literally older then me! I got a Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker. I used it for the first time yesterday and made the “Garlicky Chicken Stew” out of the newest WW cookbook. As with most recipes it was ok but there are definitely some things I can do to make it better next time!

Friday was spent getting groceries and relaxing on the couch. Yesterday I went to Value Village, with my mom. I scored a great pair of heeled boots and a few shirts. I really enjoy going to Value Village, when I am in the mood.

I also finished up working on my picture box. A few years ago for Christmas Dean gave me this awesome picture box. Well the plan we came up with was to put a whole year of pictures in it. So every January I print off pictures and put them in the box. I keep the ones I want in a separate folder all year. This year I printed them at Costco, it was so easy and pretty inexpensive. It takes some time to sort through them but I love doing it. I take the pictures from the following year and put them in a photo album, this way I am printing off my pictures, even if it’s once a year. Something that alot of people don’t do anymore due to digital pictures.

Today is snowy and the roads look to be a mess so I think we will be staying in and cleaning. Then we will probably put a movie and and relax. I weighed in this morning and was down a pound. While I know that is great I thought I would do better because I exercised more and followed my points. Oh well start again today with tracking everything and exercise. Should be some good points coming my way with the snow I will have to shovel. Hope everyone has a good week!

Routine

What time do you wake up in the morning?

I get up at 5:25 in the morning, that is gross when you have to do it 5 days a week. But I have my routine so down pat that I am ready and out the door by 5:55. I shower in the evening and lay everything out before bed. I make my lunch the night before and have everything ready to go!

We also have a very good evening routine, we have supper, go for our walk and then relax until bed. Sometimes I think it’s boring and crappy but most days I like it.

Do you have a routine you like?

…

In other news we have walked everyday since Sunday! That is great for me, it’s cold and crappy out but we are still walking! Tonight I even wore snow pants, and my hat and my hood, but I was warm. Its also a great time for us to talk about all kinds of stuff, and just walk the day away.

Positive vs. Negative.

Are you a positive thinker?

I used to be, and then something happened. I can’t really say what it was, I don’t really know. There are alot of things I could think about to associate with my lack of positivity. Truth is thinking about those things now doesn't help me feel better, only worse.

I hate to admit that I am a negative thinker, but I am. I think badly of people and am over critical. I usually see the negative side of things, my glass is half empty not half full and I am always thinking that I am going to fail. I need to change this, in a major way, so I am really trying to listen to my thoughts and if they are negative then try to turn them around. I can succeed and will!

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In other news I wanted to share last nights supper with you. Dean was home yesterday and made an amazing meal, complete with garnish and everything. It really pays off being married to a chef!

So here we have Pork Tenderloin, Twice Baked Potato, Mashed Sweet Potato, and Sweet Potato Soup.  It was deeelish!

Tomorrow’s hump day and I am excited that I am still doing so well and feeling well.

Back in the Game!

Holly 2, Fail 0. I am back in the game. Both yesterday and today I have tracked everything I ate and exercised. I weighed in yesterday at 182.6. I changed my weigh in day to Sunday to make it easier for me. I am feeling really good right now!

My plan for now is to work out harder 3 evenings a week when I get home from work, we also plan on taking a 40 minuet walk every night we are not running errands (probably 4 – 5 nights a week). Once the spring hits I might start running, but for now I am using The Biggest Loser Ultimate Challenge for Kiniect, XBOX 360.

My only hope/goal is to see a decrease in the number 3/4 weeks (taking into account TOM). I know I can do this, I have been in the 170’s before with success, its getting past there that I will really have to crack down.

Hope everyone’s Monday went well, as it’s a first day back to work for many! I know mine did!

Welcome 2011 and New Resolutions

Hope everyone had a happy and safe New Years Eve. As I said yesterday we are celebrating tonight when hubby gets home.

Becuase it is the first day of 2011 it’s only normal to have a few resolutions or goals for the new year. Lets review what I accomplished in 2010 first. My last years resolutions can be found here. The short list is;

• be in our own house
• budget and have a good savings plan
• RUN the bluenose 5K
• be healthy enough to have a baby.

Well I did pretty good.

We bought our first house and we are very happy in it. Being here after a few months we are seeing alot of the things we want to change, I was amazed at how easy the whole process was! Take my initial tour here.

We were able to get our house because we have a good budget and savings plan, I am very happy with our financial situation right now and we plan to continue with our budgeting and saving!

While I didn’t run the Bluenose this year I did run MOST of a 5K, posted here.

When it comes to a baby, my doctor says with taking my supplements and vitamins that my blood work is as good as it is going to get. So that is good. Me and Dean were talking about a baby a few days ago and have decided there are a few things we want to do/purchase before having a baby, so that is on hold for a while now.

So there was 2010, now moving on to 2011.

My main goal is to find myself. Which was the purpose of this blog back in October. For the most part this means being happy in my own skin, which will involved losing weight and becoming more active. I really don’t want to set myself up for failure and I think while this has been my goal for so long, I know it’s obtainable and I know I can do it if I just set my mind to it!

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2011, and accomplishes some of their dreams!